Just about any occurrence in society has the potential of ending up as raw video on social media these days. One of the lasted classroom witness videos that went viral is one depicting an officer forcibly removing a defiant child from a classroom. This sparked much discussion about the appropriateness of using such physical force on children.
The tide of Common Core criticism is growing – some of it deserved, but much of it not. I have noticed a rash of attacks lately that really have nothing at all do with the Common Core standards. Some of those attacks involve beloved math strategies that I have taught and used with students for over three decades. How they can be maligned is one thing, but then to attribute them to the “failed” Common Core goes over the top. In this article I will describe three math techniques that are currently under attack.
When I think back to my elementary school experience in the 60s (yikes!), I recall several homework assignments. I don’t remember any everyday assignments, but I do remember the larger projects that took several days or weeks to complete. My favorite project revolved around the solar system (pun intended). I was in fifth grade in Mrs. Wall’s class and had to write a report and draw pictures on each of the (then) nine planets. It took me a good day’s worth of time to complete each planet and was very labor intensive. The end result was a bound “report” consisting of about 20 pages – all handwritten and hand-drawn.
It’s my pleasure welcoming you to my new blog. I hope this blog will be home to many useful articles regarding issues affecting parents, teachers and children – especially those in the elementary years.
After teaching school for 28 years, . . .
